


Ladies and Dragons

by haliney



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age of Sail, Alternate Universe - Napoleon with Dragons, Fusion Universe, Napoleonic War with Dragons, That's right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-31 09:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haliney/pseuds/haliney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Lord Grayson's pleasant evening at the Theatre is interrupted in favor of his entire world view being turned upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ladies and Dragons

The only thing that was allowing Lord Grayson to maintain his composure at the moment was years of practice enduring the subtle and not so subtle insults and slights of Britain’s nobility with grace and poise. If not for habit long tempered through trial by fire in the ballrooms of the harshly critical Ton, the man may have sputtered in shocked outrage at what was occurring before him. As it stood, he still was forced to alleviate his confusion and shock through several long blinks of his eyes.

“I apologize – come again?” he asked, averting his eyes from the young woman as she viciously attacked her elaborate hairstyle, pulling out the long hairpins that kept it coiled on her head in delicate curls. Already those curls were tumbling down in a way the Lord couldn’t help but think wasn’t much unlike what they would be in the morning when she’s just awoken.

“I said, if you have a carriage, bother with taking me to the hotel again! We can use it to get back to the Covert faster – we won’t have to wait for Scotty to flag down a hackney.” Miss Uhura growled, apparently much frustrated with her hairstyle. Lord Grayson found himself staring at his shoes, willing the flush on his cheeks away as he avoided looking at the flustered woman who’d give up disassembling her coiffure in favor of glaring at someone standing just to his left – Captain Kirk, no doubt. Spock was struck by the irrational impression that he could hear Kirk smirking about…about something. Likely something that was very much staring him in the face, even if he wasn’t quite ready to look back at it.

“And we were having such a nice evening, too.” There was something in her tone – the woman seemed to genuinely be upset by the interruption of their evening at the theatre, but also about something else, doubtless another thing just beyond Spock’s grasp – that made the lord look up. He hadn’t expected to meet those dark brown eyes, had expected them to still be taking apart Kirk in a manner he found himself thoroughly appreciating.

Those eyes held him captive for a long moment, the sadness he saw there sending sharp pains to his gut. It was she who broke the moment, her eyes flickering away from him, all the frustrated sharpness coming back to her as she declares, “We should ask your mother’s maid to work as a harness worker, Kirk – I can’t get my blasted hair down! McCoy, you are more familiar with this, help me.”

“Perhaps if it is so secure, you ought to keep it that way.” Spock used the reappearance of the gruff doctor and Miss Uhura’s terse retort that she didn’t trust Lady Winona’s maid to be up to hairstyles that would withstand dragon flight as a chance to slip away and order his carriage brought around. And that as a chance to rest briefly against the wall as he tried to puzzle out just what was happening.

The message from the Covert had sent their little party into disarray. He could gather enough that there had been a sudden development that required the formation’s immediate action; it seemed they would likely fly out tonight. Why that lead to Miss Uhura yanking hairpins out and insisting on being brought to the Covert along with the Dragon Aviators and not returned to her residence, he was not sure.

When he returned to the group in the lobby of the theatre to inform them his carriage was waiting outside, Miss Uhura was patiently allowing the Doctor to extract the multitude of hairpins, a few already clutched in her hand. The pair paused in their work as they clambered into the carriage, Miss Uhura ignoring Lord Grayson’s offered hand in favor of practically vaulting through the door, leaving the man standing there once again slightly dazed in confusion until Captain Kirk availed himself of the offer with a mocking smirk.

Spock missed most of the hushed, urgent conversation that passed during the ride to the London Covert. He was too busy trying not to stare at the doctor and young miss disassembled her hairstyle and then briskly plaited it into a simple braid that was then twisted around her head in a coronet while at the same time ignoring the irritatingly knowing smile of Captain Kirk.

The carriage had not stopped moving when young Chekov leapt out the door and began running across the grounds of the resting area towards the dragons. The conversation between the Doctor, the Captain, and Miss Uhura grew even more hurried as the carriage rolled to a stop. Spock was vaguely aware of the carriage rocking at Mr. Scott apparently jumped down from next to the driver and took off after Chekov; he could hear the muffled stirring of the dragons.

The first out of the carriage, Kirk gave Spock an odd look before lopping off in the same direction as the other two. All of his usual cocky smugness was gone from it, replaced by the stern focus that Spock was familiar with as the man’s battle attitude. There was something else there too – something almost like a sadness.

Swallowing down the uncomfortableness that brought, Spock turned back to the carriage, pleasantly surprised and pleased when Miss Uhura took his hand this time, gripping it tightly to steady her as she nearly stumbled off the steps. She barely seemed to notice, still talking to the Doctor who followed her out of the carriage.

“Please check Eltanin -- it’s still a day before you said he should be flying again and I’m worried he’s going to push himself too hard just to prove he’s fine already.” The doctor nodded, keeping pace next to the woman as she headed to the stone structure that was the on-covert accommodations. “And tell him I’ll be there in a moment; I still have to change out of these blasted skirts…” With that, they drew out of Spock’s audile range, leaving him still confused and stunned.

Ten minutes later, Spock found himself sitting on the stone bench outside of the building, waiting for Miss Uhura to reappear so he could again insist that it was no trouble for him to return her to Lady Kelvin’s residence. Standing as he heard her coming down the stairs, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, composing himself again before turning, saying, “Miss Uhura, I –“

He didn’t get any further. The sight of Miss Uhura clad in breeches that clearly showed every curve of her legs and a shirt held closed by a necktie and covered in a vest made any words he had choke in his throat. Before he could be accused of staring at her immodest attire, he forced himself to look at her face.

And immediately regretted it. She hid it quickly, masterfully, but he still caught the flicker of crestfallen disappointment that crossed her face before it was hidden by a stern mask of determination.

“It’s Captain Uhura, Lord Grayson.” She swallowed whatever lump was in her throat and continued. “And while I appreciate the offer to return me to Lady Winona’s house –“ Spock couldn’t help the internal wince at the improper reference to Lady Kelvin, which wasn’t Miss Uhura’s first slip-up of address of the night, “ – my place is here.”

“I shall wait with you to see the men off, then.” He said it before he could think and was rewarded with another glimpse of dark disappointment on the woman’s face.

“No, Lord Grayson, you misunderstand.” She sighed, arms crossing over her chest. “Look, if we had more time, I would be more…delicate about this, but we have emergency orders to fly immediately, so forgive me for the bluntness.” Miss Uhura uncrossed her arms and looked him straight in the eye.

“I am a Captain in the Aerial Corps – Eltanin is my dragon and I am his Aviator. I, as a female, am an Officer in service to the Crown and that means that I wear breeches and fly a dragon and lead a formation of dragons into battle and do all sorts of things that you will think are entirely inappropriate for a woman to be doing – which quite frankly is ridiculous and –“ She cut herself off and Spock was left with the vaguely familiar feeling of being spared a scolding. Miss Uhura took a deep breath before she went on.

“It was wonderful meeting you, Lord Grayson, it truly was. I had a wonderful evening – I hadn’t expected to enjoy myself as much as I did.” She hesitated here, stumbling over her words a bit before drawing herself upright again. “I would say I hope to be able to spend another, equally pleasant evening with you in the future, but I doubt that will happen, so instead I will say this: Live well, Lord Grayson.”

With that, the woman pushed past him and trotted off towards the dragons, leaving Spock to collapse back onto his seat on the stone bench and ponder women in breeches, women piloting dragons, women in battle! And the ramifications on the war and the world if British society at large knew there was a woman ( women? Or was Miss, no, Captain Uhura the only female in the Ariel Corps? ) put in such a position of danger as to be leading a dragon formation into battle.

The first light of the morning was just teasing the horizon when Spock was forced out of his pensive daze by the roar of several dragons and the heavy thudding whoosh as the first of the formation took off. They were quickly followed by the rest, the formation of seven blocking out the stars as they passed overhead. Spock stood, twisting to watch them go, picking out the long, graceful shape of the Longwing Eltanin – Captain Uhura’s dragon.

He watched the skies long after the formation had become indistinguishable pinpricks in the sky. Only when the carriage driver came and found him to say the horses were tired and antsy due to the small courier dragons coming and going did Spock turn his eyes away from the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short piece I got out to try and squelch my strong urging for a larger piece involving the intersection of three of my favorite things: Napoleonic Era, Star Trek, and the Temeraire Series. It remains to be seen if it will work.
> 
> Nyota as a Dragon Aviator; what can I say but that I couldn't resist. This isn't quite a crossover or a cast replacement. While Nyota's role is clearly inspired by Captain Harcourt, she is most assuredly not Catherine. Just as Jim isn't Laurence. They are still very much themselves, but in a different time and place. 
> 
> Because I suspect my need for some degree of accuracy in titles might have confused some people, Spock is Lord Grayson, or The Earl of Grayson. Grayson is not his familial surname; Spock is his given, Christian name. I tried to make all other title references clear as to who I was actually referring too, and thus might have had to sacrifice some accuracy in the address. I believe most of this I managed to pass off as Uhura's slight society uncouth -- for example, she called the Dowager Countess of Kelvin, Christian Name Winona Kirk, Lady Winona, which is terrible wrong. Hey, what Nyota Uhura, Dragon Captain lacks in social knowledge she makes up in being a badass Dragon Captain.


End file.
